Major sponsorship boost for British Cycling: Sky signs as Principal Partner
 

British Cycling has secured a major new investment in the sport with the announcement of Sky as its Principal Partner for the next five years. The multi­million pound partnership will provide increased support for cycling in the run up to London 2012 and beyond. Every level of the sport is set to benefit from the investment, from the Elite Team of World, Olympic and Paralympic cyclists to British Cycling's talent development programmes and grass­roots initiatives in schools and local communities.

The partnership will cover all forms of the competitive sport from BMX to track cycling and road racing, with the aim of bringing on the elite teams and accelerating the development of emerging talent. The partnership with British Cycling is the latest in a series of Sky initiatives encouraging people to get more involved in sport. Indeed last week Sky Sports was confirmed as the sponsor of the London Freewheel event, taking place in September 2008. In addition, Sky Sports Living For Sport - developed with the Youth Sports Trust ­ uses sport to re­engage young people in school life and, claims Sky, has reached more than 17,000 pupils to date in over 600 schools across the UK. This new partnership also aims to build on Britain's love of cycling with participation programmes in schools, youth clubs and the wider community to encourage everyone to get cycling. Passionate In addition to its financial investment, Sky will use its marketing expertise and relationships with one in three families across the UK to help British Cycling to encourage participation in cycling for sport and leisure among people of all ages and abilities. David Brailsford, British Cycling's Performance Director, said: "I believe this partnership will create a step change for cycling. Cycling is already one of Britain's sporting success stories and this is a truly exciting opportunity to grow the sport even further. "Sky is a committed and passionate partner for British Cycling. Working together, we can take elite cycling to new heights and get more people involved in the sport at all levels."   Brian Cookson, British Cycling's President, underlined the momentous change which would be brought about in the sport in consequence of the new partnership: "Over the past decade British Cycling has seen unprecedented success in the international arena and more recently significant growth within the sport. Sky's support presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform our sport by building on our international success and using it to get more people cycling, more people engaged with the sport and more people belonging to British Cycling." Outstanding Sky's Chief Executive, Jeremy Darroch, commented on the sponsor's aspirations for the spoonsorship programme: "Sport is at the heart of what we do at Sky, and it's not just what we do on screen. We want to encourage participation in sport and help to develop future talent. "British Cycling has already achieved outstanding success and grown a host of sporting heroes. We want to help Britain's elite to achieve even more success, develop the next generation of talent and inspire millions of people to get on their bikes."